LeadStory

Why did Donald Trump fire the BLS commissioner?

Asked 8 hours ago

Answer

Donald Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, Erica McEntarfer, citing concerns over revised and weaker job numbers, which he claimed were inaccurate or manipulated to harm his administration. He described the jobs data as 'phony' and accused the commissioner of incompetence, though experts and former officials argue such revisions are routine and the commissioner does not control the data.

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CNN

Former BLS chief slams Trump for firing his successor over jobs report

CNN · New
CNN
CNN
New
  • Bill Beach, former BLS Commissioner, says the commissioner cannot manipulate jobs data. 19s
  • Revisions to jobs reports are routine and reflect updated business information. 1m 26s
  • Beach argues that firing the commissioner undermines trust in the BLS and its data. 2m 11s
  • He maintains confidence in the professionalism and reliability of BLS staff. 4m 27s
  • Beach supports the commissioner being a presidential appointee but stresses the need for public trust. 5m 12s
Left-Wing Politics

References

Former BLS chief slams Trump for firing his successor over jobs report
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CNN
8 hours ago
Former BLS chief slams Trump for firing his successor over jobs report

Former BLS chief Bill Beach stated there is no way for the commissioner to rig numbers, as they only review finalized data before publication, and firing for political reasons undermines trust.

Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics head
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Fox News
15 hours ago
Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics head

The White House said the BLS head had a history of inaccuracies and incompetence, citing downward revisions of job reports by 258,000 jobs.

Trump announces new tariff rates, fires employment commissioner
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CBS America
24 hours ago
Trump announces new tariff rates, fires employment commissioner

Trump explained he fired BLS Commissioner Erica McEntarfer because he believed the numbers were phony, similar to before the election, and said, 'I did the right thing.'

Trump slams weak jobs numbers as 'rigged,' fires statistics chief
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CBC News
1 day ago
Trump slams weak jobs numbers as 'rigged,' fires statistics chief

Trump dismissed the jobs numbers as rigged to make him look bad and fired the person responsible for the jobs report, saying, 'I believe the numbers were phony just like they were before the election.'

Trump orders firing of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner
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CBS News
2 days ago
Trump orders firing of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner

Trump stated the need for accurate jobs numbers and directed his team to fire the Biden appointee, claiming important statistics must not be manipulated for political purposes.

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